A Love Letter to Starbird Chicken in Sunnyvale

The following is a love letter to Starbird Chicken, the best restaurant on the Mountain View/Sunnyvale border:

My dearest Starbird Chicken,

When I first moved to Mountain View, I was apprehensive. In moving, I had to make the hard choice between living with my significant other, and having an amazing Thai restaurant directly across the street from my apartment.

I chose my partner, but it came with uncertainty: Without delicious Thai available at a moment’s notice, how would we eat?

And then I met you.

Starbird, I had no idea, when we moved in next to one another at nearly identical times, how fated our relationship was to be.

My partner was the one who tipped me off to your existence; as a person with gluten intolerance, he has been struggling to make it through a fried-chicken-free existence. He taught me that it can be very trying on a person who grew up being able to eat breaded chicken and has suddenly had that privilege taken away.

He told me that your chicken was gluten free, and I was, at once, suspicious. Would you be any good? Would your chicken tenders hold up to the promises you were making about being “positively delicious?” Would I have to choke down soggy, tasteless tenders in an effort not to have food waste and sunk cost?

We entered your brown and yellow abode trepidatiously. This was uncharted territory: What were we getting ourselves into?

You told us that we’d be getting hand-battered chicken, sourced from Petaluma. House-made sauces. Fresh vegetables. Even freshly cooked bread, for those of us (me) who can eat gluten.

You gave us options: Sandwiches for those who like BBQ and those who like Banh-mi. Tortillas and tacos for those who like their chicken wrapped or with a crunch. Breakfast for early birds looking to get their chicken on before work. Salads for those who can’t live without their daily dose of green things.

And chicken tenders, for those of us who want to relive our McDonald’s days without the pink slime. My fiancé and I went with tenders. And this, my friend, is how you helped me win at adulting.

Starbird, you gave us the glory that is the two, three, or four-tender box. And in that box, you put the most delicious (and deliciously addictive) chicken tenders that I’ve ever tried. My inner child is soothed by the ability to dip my dinner in ketchup — and my outer adult smiles knowingly as she eats your surprisingly tasty kale slaw, which you give me on the side.

And the french fries!

Oh my goodness, the french fries.

How do describe your fries? They are perfectly salty, not too mealy, and not overcooked. They taste exactly how you remember fast food fries from your childhood tasted, which is to say: Way better than any fry you’ve actually ever had.

And you give that to me for less than $10, which is a steal for dinner in the Bay Area.

Moreover, you hire delightful people. Food service sucks, and it sometimes jades workers. The long, monotonous hours, the horrible and rude customers … it weighs on a person. But your people are always friendly and always seem like they’re genuinely happy to see you, even when they’re slammed during the dinner rush. They even remember your name (although that could be because we visit too many times a week … ).

Starbird, I know that people are making New Year’s resolutions to eat less fast food and to avoid french fries like the plague, but I want you to know that I’ll never abandon you. Your food, while it may not be the healthiest, has kept me feeling healthy by keeping me happy.

I hope that more people visit you so that you can keep your doors open forever. Because, while 2016 was a dumpster fire of a year, you were one of the best things that came out of it. … And moving in with my fiancé, of course. But being so close to you was a pretty spectacular perk.

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